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Acheron-class destroyer
|Class before= |Class after= |Subclasses= |Cost= |Built range=1911–1912 |In service range= |In commission range=1911–1922 |Total ships building= |Total ships planned= |Total ships completed=23 |Total ships cancelled= |Total ships active= |Total ships laid up= |Total ships lost=3 |Total ships retired= |Total ships preserved= }} |module2= |Class before= |Class after= |Subclasses= |Cost= |Built range=1910–1915 |In service range= |In commission range=1911–1925 |Total ships building= |Total ships planned= |Total ships completed=6 |Total ships cancelled= |Total ships active= |Total ships laid up= |Total ships lost=0 |Total ships retired= |Total ships preserved= }} |module3= to |Ship beam= to |Ship draught= to |Ship power= Standard I-class: Acheron, Ariel: Lurcher, Oak, Firedrake: |Ship propulsion= Standard I-class: * 3 × Parsons steam turbines * 3 × Yarrow-type oil-fired boilers * 3 × shafts Ferret, Forester: * 3 × Parsons steam turbines * 3 × White-Forster oil-fired boilers * 3 × shafts Hind, Hornet, Hydra: * 2 × Brown-Curtis turbines * 2 × Yarrow-type oil-fired boilers * 2 × shafts Oak, Lurcher' Firedrake: * 2 × Parsons turbines * 3 × Yarrow oil-fired boilers * 2 × shafts |Ship speed= – |Ship armament= * 2 × BL L/40 Mark VIII guns, mounting P Mark V * 2 × QF 12-pounder (76-mm) 12 cwt guns, mounting P Mark I * 2 × single tubes for torpedoes }} }} The Acheron class (officially re-designated as the I class in October 1913) was a class of twenty-three destroyers of the British Royal Navy, all built under the 1910-11 Programme and completed between 1911 and 1912, which served during World War I. A further six ships were built to the same design for the Royal Australian Navy as River-class destroyers. There was considerable variation between the design and construction of ships within this class, which should be considered as more of a post-build grouping than a homogeneous class.No class of ships were designated as the J class. Design Originally, 20 ships, including Acheron, were ordered, but an additional three were completed by Yarrow & Company. Three River-class destroyers of the Royal Australian Navy were laid down in British yards, with a further three built in Australia. The Acherons were generally repeats of the preceding ''Acorn''- or H-class, although Acheron herself and five others were builders' specials. They differed from the Acorn''s in having only two funnels, both of which were short, the foremost being thicker than the after stack. The 12-pounder guns were mounted slightly further forward than in the ''Acorn''s. Variation within the class Fourteen of the class were completed to an Admiralty standard design, although those built by John Brown and Company at Clydebank (''Hind, Hornet and Hydra) had Brown-Curtis type turbines and only two shafts. Archer and Attack used steam at higher pressures and Badger and Beaver were completed with geared steam turbines for evaluation purposes, achieving speeds of on trials. Thornycroft specials Acheron and Ariel were longer (77m), had higher installed power (15,500 shp) and were consequently faster, achieving on trials. Yarrow specials (or "special I class") Sir Alfred Yarrow maintained that it was possible to build strong, seaworthy destroyers with a speed of , and eventually a contract for three such boats was placed with the firm. They were a little larger than the rest of the class, and developed , but carried the same armament. Like the John Brown-built boats Hind, Hydra and Hornet, they had only 2 shafts, with steam developed in 2 Yarrow-type water-tube boilers and delivered to 2 Parsons turbines. Firedrake, Lurcher and Oak were distinctive in appearance and indeed much faster. They all exceeded their contract speed, Lurcher making over . Conversion to minelayers Ferret, Sandfly and Ariel were converted into fast minelaying destroyers in 1917, serving with the 20th Flotilla. They were each capable of laying 40 mines.Minesweeping and Minelaying from the Eleventh edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911 Evaluation This class of torpedo boat destroyers (TBDs, or colloquially, "boats") handled well and were excellent sea boats; like similar classes of TBDs of the time, they had open bridges but were much drier at sea than was the norm. Ships Builders' I class Admiralty I class Yarrow Specials (or "Special I class") Australian River class Notes References *''Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981'', Maurice Cocker, 1983, Ian Allan ISBN 0-7110-1075-7 *''The British Destroyer'' by Captain T D Manning CBE VRD RNVR (Ret'd), (Putnam, 1961) *''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906-1921'', Conway Maritime Press, 1985, Robert Gardiner ISBN 0-85177-245-5 Category:Destroyer classes Acheron-class destroyers